Localism emerged in the 1970s as a retreat from globalism, corporatism and consumerism, while promoting environmental sustainability and participative democracy.

The Localism Act claims to ‘shift power from central government back into the hands of individuals, communities and councils’, offering citizens new rights and planning powers.

But set against austerity and privatisation, people now recognise the new localism as part of the Coalition’s drive to centralise power and maximise corporate profits. Local communities can challenge councils to run public services, but have lost their right to challenge proposals for nuclear proliferation, fracking, and HS2.

Bizarrely, the government has made little effort to explain localism in ways that connect with the grassroots. It’s become a sterile dialogue between politicians, technocrats and think tanks, in subscription-only publications and expense-account seminars.

Localism Watch is a collaboration between the National Coalition for Independent Action and Open Democracy. It’s aiming to do what the government can’t and won’t – reclaim localism for the people.

The Communities and Local Government Select Committee has reported
back on its inquiry into Community Rights.
The government has responded – using dodgy data to reward bad
performance. What’s the story?

This was the government's revolutionary idea, its guiding light. Now, the government seems to have given up on it. What can we learn from the final audit of the 'big society'? The audit's primary author explains.

The Localism Act gives councils a ‘General Power of
Competence’ (GPoC) allowing them the same legal powers as private
individuals. But are they using these
freedoms in ways that benefit grassroots localities?

We now know
what the Smith Commission’s proposing for Scotland, and William Hague’s
options on English votes for English laws.
But how does devolution tie up with localism? A Santa-stic overview of
news, comment and (dis)information.

Considering a wide range of media
reports and commentaries on the UK’s
ongoing devolution debate - do the solutions
politicians seem to be offering genuinely address the issues as seen by local
people?

Community
leaders tell me why the government’s localism agenda isn’t really helping local
people take charge of their areas. But they did have plenty of ideas for how
LocalismWatch can change the picture.

The editor of our LocalismWatch series introduces the series by exploring the Coalitions’ localism
agenda, exposes its inherent shortcomings and contradictions, and calls for
localism to be brought back to the grassroots where it truly belongs.

Support our campaign into #darkmoney

Theresa May is desperately clinging to power, relying on the DUP, the hard-right party that has blocked same-sex marriage, and kept abortion illegal.

Worse still, they're bankrolled by dark money – we've exposed the shady group behind their lavish pro-Brexit campaigning, but they're still refusing to name their secret donors. Now they hold the balance of power at Westminster, it's even more vital that we find out who their paymasters are.